Saturday, October 29, 2016

CABO CORRIENTES

Four horses and two foals walked leisurely towards me when I got out of our car at Rancho Primavera in el Tuito. Bonnie Jauregui, co-owner of this gorgeous 200-acre property, had invited me

to come see the two foals that had been born one day apart, three weeks ago. They are the sons of

"CONDE" CON SU MAMÁ - RANCHO PRIMAVERA

the handsome stallion that
lives on an adjoining ranch. The mares in heat get pregnant because either the stallion breaks down a fence or they back up against it, hence the expression "hot to trot." The horses roam free on Rancho Primavera and usually approach people in hopes of a carrot and a nuzzle. The foals, "Conde" ("Count" and "Real" ("Royal"), were very amenable to being petted and particularly enjoyed being scratched at the bottom of their manes.

"Bella," the starving Weimaraner that Paulina Stettner, former vet tech and director of PEACAnimals, rescued in a poor, dusty colonia. She ran out to see me, turning around in circles and making wao-wao-waoing sounds. Bella is spoiled and happy and fascinated by the foals.

We had just come from "el Salto" ("The Leap"), owned by Bonnie´s husband Carlos. Soon to be for sale, the beautiful one-hundred hectars of river-front property is located in the Tuito foothills of the Sierra Madres. The two kilometers of the river on el salto have two large water falls, and because the river is fed by a spring, the river runs year round. After a swim in the rock pool, we collected lemons, limes and oranges that had fallen to the grass. The papayas weren´t quite ripe enough to be picked, and I learned from Bonnie that there are male papaya trees and female papaya trees. The males bloom and the females bear fruit.

On the way home, we stopped at the plaza in el Tuito to have a simple, good lunch at Mar Azul.

PLAZA DE EL TUITO

Sitting outside the restaurant next to us, eight policemen in grey camoflouge uniforms were throwing scraps of food to a thin, white German Shepherd mix. There are many dogs on the streets in el Tuito. A PEACEAnimals clinic is scheduled there for February 8-11.

Cabo Corrientes ("Cape Currents") is a cape on the Pacific coast marking the southernmost point of the Bahía de Banderas ("Bay of Flags"). The municipality in which the cape lies is also called Cabo Corrientes. El Tuito ("place of beauty" or "place of the gods"), is approximately an hour´s drive south from Puerto Vallarta.

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS: Honoring loved ones who have died, the Day of the Dead is celebrated every year on November 2nd.

CALAVERAS - EL DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS - EL DOS DE NOVIEMBRE

Private altars ("ofrendas") using marigolds, sugar skulls, photographs and the favorite food and drinks of the dead are constructed in homes and in public places. These gifts are also taken to grave sites and cemeteries. A few years ago in San Miguel de Allende, I visited a large cemetery where two roosters were in a cage on top of a tomb (the owner had loved cock fights). Further away, in front of the crypts and surrounded by a family with young children, mariachis were playing the favorite songs of the deceased. November 1st is el Día de los Ángeles, remembering the babies and children who have died.

DÍA DE LOS ANGELES - EL PRIMER DÍA DE NOVIEMBRE

LA CALAVERA CATRINA is the icon of el Día de los Muertos. Jose Guadalupe Posada, considered the "father of Mexican printmaking," was fascinated by skulls and skeletons ("calaveras"). In 1910, shortly before the Revolution, Posada published "La Calavera Catrina" as a zinc etching.

The female skeleton is wearing only a fancy plumed hat that upperclass women at the time were wearing. This was not just a death knell for the aristocracy, but a satirical portrait of native Mexicans who were embarrassed by their culture, painting their faces white and attempting to dress and act like Europeans.

LA CATRINA is seen in Diego Rivera´s famous mural, "Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central." Painted in three different sections in three months in 1947, the below fragment shows La Catrina in a feathered hat and boa standing between Posada to her right, Diego Rivera as a child to her left and behind him, Frida Kahlo holding a yin-yang.

The mural is on display at the MUSEO MURAL DIEGO RIVERA in Mexico City.

Oxomoco was the goddess of the night, the calendar and astrology for the Aztecs. Her name is probably derived from a Huastic word that morphed into Nahuatal, meaning "First Woman." (Uxumocox; Uxum =Woman and Ocox=First). Oxomoco was the Aztecs´ Eve of the Old Testament and Cipactonal was the Aztecs´ Adam. They were considered the first mortals in regards to human creation and evolution, and revered as deities.

JARDINES DE RAMBLASES: Reached by heading east on calle Viena en colonia Versalles and climbing and winding up paved roads to what seems close to the beginnings of the foothills of the Sierra Madres.

COLONIA JARDINES DE RAMBLASES

The colonia is quiet and clean and quite pretty. The clinic took place in a very small, vacant cinderblock house. I was there when the vivacious Angelica of AngeliCAT came to retrieve seven kittens she had brought for spay/neuter and also when Dr. Javier, director of the Centro de Acopio, arrived to collect two kennels full of kittens. Cat rescue groups comprise a substantial number of the sterilizations performed by PEACEAnimals.

JUAN Y SU PRIMA - RAMBLASES

Juan, a sweet and smiling ten-year old, was there in the morning to watch María, LADRA´s helper, monitor cats in recovery. María was also clipping toenails and picking off ticks and fleas and cutting off the extremely dirty and matted hair on a small, white French Poodle mix. The electric shavers are reserved for pre-surgery procedures. María also put all of the donated collars and two leashes on the dogs waiting for the surprised and grateful owners. Juan came back just before he had to leave for the afternoon session of school to show his younger cousin the animals. Juan was captivated by the clinic and I was captivated by Juan.

SOS FOR TREE CAT: She came running down a tree to greet me on the Río Cuale every time I walked our dogs there. The Siamese-mix cat was wearing a pale pink collar with a bell. I started bringing kibble daily just for her, and then one morning I found her with a gaping wound on her side. Dr. Tamayo said it was a cat bite and I brought her home to recover. She is a pretty Siamese mix about two years old, affectionate, healthy and slightly miserable bcause we have six other cats. I would like to find a home for the cat I named "Tree" where there are no other cats. She loves dogs. Please contact me if you would like to meet this cat.

AMAZONSMILE - PEACEAnimals is able to receive donations from Amazon
Smile under the umbrella of Banderas Bay Charities, Inc. Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of eligible AmazonSmile
purchases to the
charitable organizations selected by their
customers. This is a very simple way to help fund our clinics: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/47-4752247

If you would like PEACEAnimals to be the
charity receiving a percentage of your purchases on AmazonSmile, please
list Banderas Bay Charities, Inc. PEACEAnimals receives all these
donations.

CALENDAR FOR SPECIAL SUNDAY ONE-DAY CLINICS ON THE ISLA CUALE, WHERE SO MANY CATS AND KITTENS ARE ABANDONED. PURO GATO WILL HOLD ADOPTIONS ON THE ISLA FROM 11-2 ON THESE SAME DATES. THE CLINICS OPEN AT 9 AM. ARRIVE EARLY!

Noviembre 6 - domingo - PV ANIMAL

Diciembre 4- domingo - PURO GATO

2017 - January 7, 2017 - October 2017 - ANONYMOUS DONOR HAS DONATED FUNDS TO PAY FOR THESE 10 CLINICS. THEY WILL ALL TAKE PLACE THE FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH UNLESS OTHERWISE ADVISED.

PERRITA DESPUÉS DE ESTERILIZACIÓN - RAMBLASES

THE GROUPS LISTED ABOVE HAVE HIRED AND WILL PAY PETS FOR LIFE 4,500 PESOS FOR THE
STERILIZATION OF 30 ANIMALS. IF NUMBERS ARE GREATER, THE SAME
ORGANIZATIONS WILL REQUEST DONATIONS FROM THEIR SUPPORTERS TO MAKE UP
THE DIFFERENCE.For each cat or dog over the number 30, sponsors of the Sunday clinics will be charged 150 pesos.

IF
YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPONSOR A ONE-DAY SUNDAY CLINIC ON THE ISLA CUALE,
THE COST IS ONLY 4,500 PESOS TO STERILIZE 30 CATS AND DOGS. PLEASE
CONTACT SHANNON@BESTONPROPERTIES.COM

DESIGNATED
LINE WITH RECORDING ADVISING LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS – ONLY IN SPANISH – (322) 113 3955

To report animal abuse, phone: 322-223-3690

WE
NEED LOCATIONS FOR OUR CLINICS.
REQUIRED: BATHROOM, ELECTRICITY, WATER AND PARKING AVAILABILITY.

EN FRENTE DE LA CLÍNICA EN RAMBLASES

NOTE:
PEACEAnimals, per our agreement with independent contractors, Pets for Life, is
obliged to pay extra for driving time and gasoline for areas outside Puerto
Vallarta.We ask that private or government
groups pay those extra expenses.

PEACEAnimals
does not buy advertising or pay for posters, flyers, megaphone
announcers or locations. All monies raised go directly to actual
costs of the clinics. Dr. Poli, as director of PEACEAnimals, a Mexican
AC (non-profit) and Pets for Life, a Mexican SC (business), selects
clinic locations.

CLÍNICA EN RAMBLASES

All pet registration forms with signatures of owners or rescuers are submitted by
Dr. Poli to the local department of health, with copies to PEACEAnimals.

ANGELICA DE ANGELICAT RECOGIENDO 7 GATITOS DE LA CLÍNICA EN RAMBLASES

Clinic
schedule, including directions and other clinic information are always on
website: www.peaceanimals.org, on this blog: www.gretchen-peace-and-pv.blogspot.com and on the PEACEAnimals FaceBook page.

Please
"like" PEACEAnimals and Calle Cero on FaceBook.

RAMBLASES

LUNCH DONATIONS
NEEDED FOR VET TEAM: PEACEAnimals has a budget of 70 pesos per vet team individual
(three persons) per day for 4 days a week for lunches.Please consider
bringing lunches for our vet team to the clinics. If you can do this, please
advise so we can create a lunch schedule. By having lunches donated, these
savings can used for purchases of supplies and medicines.

PEACEAnimals is
under the umbrella of Banderas Bay Charities, Inc., a US 501 (c)(3)
charity located in Portland, Oregon. Please
make payments payable to either BBC INC or Banderas Bay Charities, Inc.
Donations are tax deductible and should be earmarked for PEACEAnimals.

No comments:

Post a Comment

About Me

Gretchen DeWitt is president of the board of directors of PEACEAnimals, which was founded in 2011. She was co-founder of the SPCAPV, where she served as president for 18 months before joining the board of directors of PEACE MEXICO. Her focus was raising funds for "Ayuda a los Animales," a free spay/neuter program.